Opinion

The annual winter meetings have come and gone, but what happened in those few days will have long-lasting implications.

Guys such as Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes, who are free agents following the upcoming season, have to be licking their chops at some of the dollars handed out, as that will bode well for them.

Long-term, what does each man have to look forward to, and who would provide the best bang for their buck?

Quite a few reports are saying that Cliff Lee has looked over the New York Yankees' seven-year, $161 million offer and the several offers made by the Texas Rangers.

One offer made by Texas is generally a six-year deal with an option, which could easily be construed as a seven-year deal.

It may be for a little less money than the Yankees offer, but the comfort level Lee has with the Rangers must weigh pretty heavily in the small-town Lee's psyche.

A common criticism of Major League Baseball, besides the lack of a salary cap or parity, is the unfair scheduling and division setup. The division setup in both leagues is very unusual. The American League West has four teams, the National League Central has six teams and every other division has five. This adds up to 14 teams in the AL and 16 in the NL, which has led to uneven scheduling.

So I am suggesting a dramatic change in both leagues.The new division format should be just like the National Football League, which also has an excellent rotating scheduling system.

The New York Yankees fan base was in a state of bedlam yesterday afternoon, when there were reports on Twitter circulating and stating that Cliff Lee had rejected the Yankees offer. Immediately, the reaction was that Brian Cashman should throw more money in the deal. But later on, the rumors settled down as many did not know what to believe. Beat writers told fans to be careful what was out there and what they read. 

If you search for "#clifflee" on Twitter, you will find an ongoing slew of tweets as folks await his long overdue decision about where he'll play in 2011.  While Ranger fans are certainly interested and hopeful, some Yankee fans seem despondent at the thought of the left-hander not coming to the Bronx.

Here are five reasons the Yankee faithful should just—as my daughter would say—"chillax!"

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The rumour mill has been working extra hard this past week and is expected to gain more steam as Cliff Lee has apparently said he will make his decision within the next 48 hours. 

In my opinion I hope that he chooses to stick with the Texas Rangers.

Why? 

If Cliff Lee signs with the Yankees the focus will largely be on him, as he will be crowned the saviour of this aging Yankee team. 

The 2010 MLB winter meetings are in the books and the market has been set.

After watching Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn and Jason Werth rake in the dough, most of baseball's GM's are angry at the amount of cash being thrown around. Carlos Pena, who hit under .200 last season, scored a $10 million contract from the Chicago Cubs. 

Then there are the Cincinnati Reds.

Since his acquisition from the Houston Astros in 2008, Brad Lidge has been like a roller-coaster ride for the Phillies and their fans, and we've all just been along for the ride.

From the highs of his perfect season in 2008, to the lows of his league leading 11 blown saves in 2009, Lidge has become one of the most unpredictable closers in all of baseball, forcing fans to hold their breath as the ball leaves his hand.

The Cliff Lee decision, barring any unforeseen final efforts like the Nationals offering Jayson Werth-like money, seems to be narrowed down to the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees.

If both are offering seven-year deals and both are dangling similar amounts of money, then what might be the tipping point for Lee?

I would argue that the decision-making factor for Lee might be the same one that swayed LeBron James in his decision to go to Miami.

Don't Discount Sternberg Bailing Out     For all the anger Carl Crawford received for going to the Red Sox, fans should wonder about Stuart Sternberg's intentions as the Rays owner.

Sternberg talked about having a fire sale in spring training, and he let everyone know he wasn't kidding. The Rays are having their fire sale by letting all of their free agents walk, and Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and James Shields are going to be traded most likely.